A divorce was inevitable; Arenas had expressed his desire to leave to those close to him for several months. So when he arrived at media day looking like Tom Hanks from Cast Away, it should have served as the first sign of discord. He was upset and those sullen, bearded photos didn't do much to help the team promote him and his fourth return to a somewhat-jaded fan base. Washington Post Blog

Ted Leonsis tried to bring back Arenas into the fold. He met with him, joked with him, publicly supported and praised Arenas, understanding the fragile psyche of his highest-paid and most recognizable player. Leonsis was genuinely fond of Arenas, but in the end, even that wasn't enough to engage the three-time all-star. Washington Post Blog

Otis Smith contacted the Wizards last week to see if they were still interested in making a deal. The Wizards had never stopped shopping Arenas, and were hoping that Smith would take him off of their hands around the NBA draft. Smith's call came as a relief, because it gave the Wizards a chance to get out from under an albatross of a contract that most deemed immobile. Washington Post Blog